


O Come, Let Us Adore Him

by AlyKat



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: A hidden talent, M/M, SHIELD Husbands, The Avengers Sing, Who woulda thunk, caroling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-23
Updated: 2012-12-23
Packaged: 2017-11-21 06:36:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/594597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlyKat/pseuds/AlyKat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which the Avengers go caroling and Clint mysteriously takes off directly afterwards. The team follows him and what they find was not what they expected in the least. </p><p>(Feelstide prompt #46: "The Avengers go caroling, and at least one turns out to have a gorgeous voice." </p><p>...and who has the gorgeous voice is probably NOT who anyone would expect!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	O Come, Let Us Adore Him

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize, dear prompter! This kind of got away from me. The Avengers do still go caroling...but you don't find out who has the gorgeous voice until after they've finished. *Head desk!* I'm sorry! Hope this is still okay! Because I really enjoyed writing it. =3 
> 
> ...this is what happens when I listen to choirs singing more traditional Christmas music while writing...

“This is a stupid idea, Steve. We work with these people! We are superheroes! I’m not doing it. I refuse and you can’t make me. JARVIS! Please wipe this conversation from the records so that it never took place.” Tony shook his head as he moved away from Steve, stepping back instead to his work station so he could finish his project and ignore the glare he was getting.

It was a stupid idea, one the engineer was surprised others had agreed to join in on. Really? Caroling? Of all things, Steve insisted he wanted the team to go caroling through the halls of S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters!! And as if that wasn’t degrading enough? The Captain wanted them to dress bundled up, as if they were doing this outside instead of in a climate controlled building that stayed a constant 73 degrees year round. No way in hell. It wasn’t going to happen.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Clint smiled as he tugged his dark navy peacoat on, his shoulders loose and hands already toasting nicely in the dark purple mittens custom knitted for him. He normally didn’t like having his fingers constricted or covered for that matter, but when he saw how happy it’d made Julie –Mom—Coulson, he couldn’t turn them down. And really, they were quite warm and nice to have when he and Phil would go out for walks at night.

Moving for the kitchen, he slipped up behind his husband, kissing the nape of the man's neck before resting his chin on Phil's shoulder. They swayed gently to the music playing in the background; Nat King Cole crooning on about chestnuts roasting on an open fire and children waiting to see reindeer fly. The smell of turkey slow roasting in the oven was making Clint’s stomach growl and he wished more than anything he didn’t have to go out with the others and try to brighten the nights of the poor saps suckered into staying at S.H.I.E.L.D on Christmas Eve.

“…Wish you were coming with us. Be more fun with you there.” Clint murmured, lips fluttering lightly over Phil’s ear.

“While I’d love to tag along and listen to Stark make a complete fool of himself...I’ll just have to settle with whatever security footage Jasper can forward to me.”

Clint didn’t need to see the man’s face to know that there was a half smile playing on his lips, the kind of smile that caused the corners of his eyes to crinkle and a sparkle to ignite in those blues. Kissing his way back down his husband’s neck, he slowly pulled away and gave a small sigh. Going caroling with the others wasn’t exactly how he’d planned to spend his night, but since Bruce had managed to convince (read: pillow-talked-manipulated) Stark into joining them, Clint wasn’t about to disappoint Phil’s hero by bailing on them.

“Yeah well, I’ll try to call you before six so you can hear how terrible we all are.” He leaned in for another kiss, this time rewarded with Phil’s head turning so as to reciprocate the affection. “Mm…love you. I’ll see you later.”

“Love you too. Have fun.”

Clint gave a half laugh as he started for the door to their apartment, pausing to cast a smile over his shoulder and back to Phil. “See ya tonight.”

With a smirk and a wink, the archer turned and disappeared out the door, heading for the lobby to join with the others.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The caroling, as it turned out, wasn’t nearly as painful as anyone thought it would be, partly due to the fact that they each seemed to have a fairly decent enough singing voice. Steve’s voice would occasional waver and fall flat, but overall he wasn’t absolutely terrible. His rather upper register tenor voice wasn’t the worst Clint had ever heard, and it seemed to bring schoolgirl smiles to half the faces of the women working that night. Natasha’s voice was, unsurprisingly, just as smooth and seductive as the rest of her. A calming and serene alto that could put even the most nervous of hearts at ease; a sound that was rarely ever heard and one that always found Clint just sitting back to enjoy when it was heard. Tony, as it turned out, had probably the best voice of them all. Though, not that it surprised any of them, they’d all heard him singing to himself at least once around the tower; mostly when he was feeling overly sentimental and mushy and wanted to sing to Bruce. Which brought up the good doctor, who…actually, Clint was fairly convinced was simply lip-syncing. Either that or his voice harmonized seamlessly enough with Tony’s that it was impossible to tell whose voice they were actually hearing. Both of those theories were a great possibility, though. Then there was Clint himself, who had no shame when it came to just about anything. He’d been more than happy to take the lead on the songs, the rest of the team falling in behind.

Together, the five of them –Thor being back on Asgard and really, he wouldn’t have known any of their carols anyways so it was best that he wasn’t there—had traveled up and down the halls, pausing at whatever open doors they found to serenade the agents inside. Once the initial embarrassment wore off (because yes, it was a bit embarrassing to be strolling through a top government agency, dressed like they were all going out sledding, singing to people they saw on a near daily basis), the team actually had a lot of fun.

They each took turns deciding what songs to sing; Tony’s choices always being non-traditional Christmas songs like _Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer_ (a song that absolutely horrified Steve) or _Nuttin’ for Christmas_ (which turned into a duet between Tony and Clint, as they were the only two to know all the lyrics to that particular “classic”) while the others chose songs like _Away in the Manger, What Child is This?_ , or _We Wish You a Merry Christmas_. It was nice to see the sometimes awkward, but mostly appreciative, smiles of the agents, to know that they as a team had managed to bring a little bit of light into their grim night of work. What was even nicer were the times when some kind junior agent would dart back into their cramped little office and come back a moment later holding a tin of cookies or fudge someone had sent to them, or offered the five to come in for coffee or tea.

No, even Tony had to admit as they were leaving the building that the caroling idea hadn’t been so bad after all. Of course, he also complained that it would have been better had they have had a small band following along with them so they didn’t seem quite so stupid and awkward trying to scrabble for the right pitches at the starts of songs. No one chose to acknowledge his complaint.

Stepping out into the softly falling snow, Clint cast a glance to his phone, checking the time before looking back up to the others. It was quarter after six, he still had at least a twenty minute walk ahead of him, if he left right then he should be able to just make it in time. Stuffing the phone back in his hip pocket and tugging his scarf from a coat pocket, he looped it around his neck a few times before stepping up to kiss Natasha’s cheek and nod to the others.

“Well, been fun guys. I’ll catch ya’s back at the Tower.”

“Whoa! Where do you think you’re going, Feathers? We’re all going back to the Tower and having drinks and watching bad Christmas specials on Lifetime. You and Agent Agent are joining us. It’s Christmas Eve. No hogging him for yourself.”

Clint couldn’t help but give a small smile at that. Shaking his head, he turned to start walking off down the snow covered sidewalk. “Sorry, Tin Head. I’ve got somewhere I gotta be tonight. We might come down later though. Save me some spiked cocoa, Tosh.”

Giving a slight wave over his shoulder, the archer hunched his shoulders as he shoved his hands deep into his pockets and moved briskly through the snow, heading off in an opposite direction of the Tower. Looking between each other, Tony was the first to break the silence. He didn’t like having his gracious offers of more team bonding turned down, no matter what the reason for it was.

“…What could be more important than watching bad Christmas movies? Seriously, where is he going that’s more important and he couldn’t invite us?”

“Maybe it’s something personal, Tony? A tradition he does or something?” Bruce’s quiet and calm voice said from his place next to the man, their hands gently clasped together at their sides.

“Pft. Personal? No such thing. C’mon…I wanna find out what’s more important.”

“Tony, I don’t think—“

“Cap, I am declaring this a mission. I want to know what’s more important than hanging out with us.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

They followed Clint down the streets, keeping back far enough not to be noticed, and yet still being able to keep him in their sights. He was moving further out of the business district and closer to a more historical area of Manhattan, to a place where brownstones were replacing skyscrapers and a gorgeous cathedral loomed at the end of a dead end street. Cars lined both sides of the streets, spilling over from the parking lots, and the sounds of a pipe organ could be heard even from half a block away. It was a beautiful scene, and one that had the four teammates almost wishing they’d done their caroling here instead on at S.H.I.E.L.D.

They watched from the shadows as Clint bound up the steps two at a time. He paused only long enough to shake the snow from his head and shoulders before opening the door just wide enough for him to slip through. Blinking at each other in confusion, they team slowly made their way to continue following. Clint had never seemed the religious type. He didn’t seem anti-religious either, but he’d never given them any indications to ever believing in any higher powers. So it confused them as to why he’d be sneaking into a church at quarter to seven on Christmas Eve.

As they neared the towering structure, they each slowed their pace. Of the four standing in the snow, only one was even remotely comfortable being in or near a holy place. Of course, Steve had grown up in a time were going to Church on Sundays and every holy day in between was expected of everyone and rarely seemed to be a chore. Hell, Tony wasn’t at all convinced that he wouldn’t be struck by lightning just for even putting his foot on a step of a church. Natasha was in just as bad of shape as, if not worse than, Tony in that regard. And Bruce, well, Bruce was a man of science and by default was skeptical of any higher beings other than Newton, Edison, and Einstein.

Trading glances once more, it was Natasha who took the first step forward and moved up the shallow steps towards the massive landing just outside the doors. Waiting for the others, she listened carefully to the sounds drifting through the door. Voices sung sweetly, harmonizing perfectly with each other and with the organ. It was a beautiful and heartwarming sound, something that made her want to willingly step foot inside the building and just listen.

As Steve opened the door, a wall of light and warmth and beautiful voices hit them all square in the faces. There didn’t seem to be a single open seat in the church, as people milled along the back walls, leaning against pillars to take some of the weight off their feet. How they were ever going to find Clint was a mystery as they each slipped in one by one until the door quietly fell shut behind the Captain.

A massive choir stood at the altar, all dressed in fine black suits and gorgeous deep red dresses. Even the groups of children standing on either sides of the adult group in the middle were dressed to match their older counterparts. Their hands all hung loosely from their sides, not a single sheet of music to be had in front of any of them. A small band of musicians sat off to one side, a piano, guitar, harpsichord and violin making up their group to accompany the massive and domineering pipe organ billowing from the loft above the Avenger’s heads. Everything about the scene screamed warmth, love, welcome, and peace; from the dozens of candles casting their flickering glow against the walls to the mothers and fathers rocking their children gently in their arms while watching the obviously skilled musicians perform for free for them.

A motion to their left caught Natasha’s attention, and she turned her head just enough to spot the man they’d been looking for. Gently elbowing Steve’s side, she motioned a nod towards where Clint sat, nestled into a pew. His coat, scarf and gloves were absent, and instead a little girl with bright blue eyes and shocking blond hair clung around his neck, her tiny thumb stuffed into her mouth as the man swayed slightly side to side. The girl, they deduced –since they all knew Clint and Coulson certainly did not have any little ones running around!—was Phil and Clint’s oldest niece. Next to him, a woman just slightly younger than Phil turned to pull the little girl off her uncle’s shoulder and adjusted so the girl was sitting in her mother’s lap and able to see the people performing. The small team of superheroes all watched as Clint flashed both his sister-in-law and his niece a bright smile before he turned his gleaming eyes back to the front.

The song had changed, the tempo decidedly more upbeat than the previous song, and a woman soloist stepped forward from the bunch. Her voice carried over them, wrapping around them all like a warm blanket as she sang out the first few lines of _‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’_. It was a beautiful sound, no doubt, especially once the rest of the choir picked up the background vocals and chorus lines. It was during that first chorus that Clint’s posture changed, his elbows moving for his knees as he leaned forward, hands clasped just in front of his mouth and eyes shining brightly with pride. They could see his lips just barely moving; lightly mouthing the words of the song along with the choir as his eyes never strayed from where he was looking.

Four sets of confused eyes turned back to the main choir, watching in confusion as a rather familiar face stepped forward from the men's section. The calmness that flowed from his body language was one they all knew so well, had dealt with every day for the past few years. Yet there was a slight twitch to his fingers, a tell that spoke volumes for those who knew the man as well as they did. This was something out of his comfort zone, something that actually scared him. That alone was enough for the Avengers to stop and stare in awe. Phil Coulson wasn’t scared of anything or anyone. The man went toe-to-toe with Tony Stark and threatened to taze him if he got out of line! He arrested a Norse god of Thunder and went on to fight said god’s lunatic brother! Gas station robbers in the middle of the desert at night didn’t stand a chance against him! Yet there he stood, fingers twitching at his sides and blue eyes staring straight ahead but definitely not seeing the crowd in front of him. Those blue eyes were focused on just one thing; the loving, proud, and supportive face of his husband, sitting at the back of the church next to his sister, niece, mother and brother.

“ _Sing choirs of angels/sing in exultation/O sing all ye citizens of heaven above/Glory to God/Glory in the highest._ ” When their friend –because they had long since stopped thinking of him as anything but that—opened his mouth to sing, the group of four stood back in shock at what they heard. They had no idea Coulson even sang, let alone so well. His voice was a gorgeous, smooth baritone that carried just as well and as unassumingly as his natural speaking voice. Yet it somehow was filled with so much emotion, so much more than he typically let show around them, and though they could tell he was nervous up there, his voice never so much as trembled. It was a gentle commanding voice that no one had any qualms listening to.

They watched as Coulson’s solo ended; watched as Clint had to physically restrain himself from jumping up to applaud (though, proper social etiquette was lost on the three-year-old niece who had no problems happily slapping her hands together for her uncle—much to her mother’s amused embarrassment). Even from where they stood at the back of the cathedral, they could see Coulson’s lips press together in a tight attempt not to smile; a faint hue of pink creep over the man’s ears as he stepped back into line to continue singing out the end of the song with everyone else.

As the song came to an end, Tony, Bruce, Steve and Natasha all stood dumbfounded by what they had just heard. The crowd around them began to shift, people moving to stand and applaud for a job well done. Clint’s claps, whistles, and shameless whoops of approval carried over the sounds of well over a hundred other people as Steve reached out to tug at Tony’s elbow, ushering their group out the door once more as the choirs moved to step off their stages. This was something personal for Clint and Coulson, and maybe Cap felt a bit guilty for invading upon the choir performance and seeing their handler do something he clearly was not entirely comfortable doing. They weren’t going to stand around and wait for Phil to meet up with his family; Steve wasn’t going to risk Tony embarrassing the man in front of everyone.

Stepping back out into the cold, dark winter’s night, they each stood silently in the faint yellow glow of the church lights. It was a reverent and thoughtful silence as they each reflected for a moment. Bruce’s arm slipped between Tony’s, the man’s lips pressing to his boyfriend’s shoulder lightly as Tony turned to nuzzle his nose into Banner’s soft, curly hair. Natasha’s green eyes glanced back towards the church doors, obviously a bit betrayed by the fact she had no idea Coulson could sing. Steve’s own eyes were cast to the ground, lost in memories of years gone by when he, his mother, and Bucky would trudge through the snow (much like he and the other’s had just done) to get to St. Xavier’s church in Brooklyn for Midnight Mass.

As the first few people began to trickle slowly out into the night around them, Tony turned his head to level his friends with a thoughtful look.

“…I totally call Agent for my caroling team next year. It’s obvious he’s got the best voice of any of us and therefore, I call dibs.”

“You…Tony, you can’t call dibs! We…why caroling _teams_? You can’t seriously be making this a competition next year, can you?”

“Bruce, I can and I am. Don’t worry, you’ll be on my team too.”

Looking back up to the now open doors, Steve gave a soft smile as he turned to start walking back to the Tower. Glancing back over his shoulder, the soldier’s blue eyes looked up to spot Coulson standing with his family, a bright yet almost shy smile on his face as he held his niece close (Clint practically attached to the man’s waist already) and speaking quietly with his mother and siblings. His attention turning back to Tony, Steve shook his head and continued walking, the others falling into step with him.

“I have the feeling Clint and Phil are going to be busy next year, Tony.”

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to my bestie Nicole for suggesting it be Coulson who has the gorgeous singing voice...since we figured everyone would be expecting it to be either Clint or Tony (since both Renner and RDJ have incredible singing voices. *Swoons!*). Though, I have seen the clip of Clark singing his version of the Avenger's theme song at NYCC...it was very humorous, but kinda obvious that he wasn't at all being serious about it...which is why I decided if he _were_ to be serious about it, he'd probably actually have a fairly decent voice. 
> 
> Also, this is how I pictured Clint looking when they found him in the church, http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mc8fvqV4lZ1qebp2go3_500.gif (one day I'll learn to link stuff...) Seriously, that's all I could see while writing this! And I think that's why it got away from me a bit. Oops? *Secretly regrets nothing!!!*
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed! Merry Feelstide everyone!!


End file.
